


Adventures of Mobius High

by karmans



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern, But Shadow can, F/M, He is also on the wrestling team, High School AU, Knuckles will beat the hell out of you, M/M, Mild Depression Warning, Mild angst warning, NEVER GIVE SONIC COFFEE, PTSD, Shadow acts edgy but secretly has a heart of gold, Shadow has PTSD, Shadow is secretly a nerd too, Shadow is secretly dying inside, Shadow really needs a hug, Shadow treats his motorcycle like a child, Shadow’s Name is a nickname it isn’t his real name, Slow Build, Sonic CANNOT swim, Sonic can be seriously hyper sometimes, Sonic has ADHD, Sonic is basically friends with everybody because he's that kind of guy, Tails and Cosmo is a Thing, Tails is a science nerd, Tails' real name is Miles but everyone calls him Tails
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 21:52:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14578437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karmans/pseuds/karmans
Summary: After a tragic family incident leaving only him alive, Shadow is forced to move away from anyone and anything he ever loved and live thousands of miles away from home in a small and cramped space donated by the government until he turns into a legal adult, where he'll have to fend for himself from that moment on. As he moves into his apartment, his next door neighbor happens to be the most annoying person in the world. Deep down, Shadow believes that maybe they could be friends, but that's impossible with Shadow's backstory. Turns out, that same guy also happens to be attending the same High School as Shadow: Mobius High. How will these two teens' lives meet? Will they ever see eye-to-eye? And, if they do, will their friendship ever be... more?Find out here, in Adventures of Mobius High!!EDIT: will be redoing the story shortly after the new year! Keep a lookout! The new story will be called Stuck With You. I am so sorry for leaving everyone hanging like that, and not updating for so long. I honestly have been meaning to redo this story for awhile, just didn’t know where to start... BUT NOW I DO. DO NOT FEAR I WILL BE BACK





	1. New Place

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my first fanfiction, where everything is shitty and it takes me months to upload! Constructive criticism is allowed, just don't crucify me TOO much. (jk, crucify all u want.) Enjoy!
> 
> \- Strider

Shadow sighed. He has had enough for one week.

One week, where everything he had ever known went out with a literal bang.

One week, where he had been assigned to live in a tiny cramped apartment until he was old enough to fend for himself and left alone in the world with nobody to turn to. Nowhere to run, or hide.

One week, where he was told that he would move far away from his home, his state, which was the only place he could truly call home, because home is where the heart is, and he left his heart where his family is now buried six feet underneath the earth.

One week, where he was told he would be assigned into a high school, and expected to pick his life up again like nothing ever happened.

Bullshit.

Shadow groaned and literally plopped onto his couch. He covered his face with his hands, and just thought. Thought about his family, if they were still here, and what they would do to try and cheer him up. They would either find that one pressure point near the center of his back and make him spaz out in a fit of laughter, threaten not to give him bacon for a week if he didn't smile, or call up Maria and put the phone on speaker so that she could tell him her god-awful puns. Which he always laughed at, by the way.

Shadow let out a bitter laugh at the thought of Maria, all the way back home, stuck in a hospital bed somewhere because of her cancer. She was literally the only living thing he had left of home, except that she was 1,000 miles away from him and in no condition to talk to him with how her disease is acting up. At this rate, Maria will be gone within the year, and then Shadow really will have nothing except the clothes on his back and the stuff his parents left to him in their will.

He had inherited his parents entire life savings, including retirement money. So, even if he was somehow unable to get a job before he turned 18, he had enough money to last in his tiny apartment long enough to find one. If worst came to worst, he would go homeless and drift in between shelters, living a life of shoplifting, barrel fires, and sleeping under bridges until he died. (Which would still be a better way to go than his family).

Shadow turned on his side on his couch, fingering the golden rings around his neck. His parents’ wedding rings. His parents had always been simple people, so when the time came to get married, they didn’t get fancy diamonds or anything to express their love, because they had told Shadow that the only way they could express their love was through him.

His name wasn’t really Shadow, actually. It was Jay, but his parents called him their “little shadow” because he followed them everywhere. He was quite a clingy little kid. He never wanted to leave his parents’ side. However, as he grew older, he wanted to go out more on his own and explore places. Shadow, er, Jay, never really had any friends growing up as an only child. They lived quite far into the countryside with not much city life interference. They weren’t farmers, or anything, they just lived far away from a lot of people.

Thinking back to when he first arrived here not an hour ago, Shadow groaned and got up, checking the time. It was 6:24 PM, on a Saturday. Summer break had already begun two months prior, so now, with only one month left of summer break to get his shit together before school, Shadow began to think.

The school that the government had signed him up for was pretty nice. At least on the outside. There were modern, glass windows, and the place seemed to be a pretty new, high-tech school. From what Shadow had heard, they had 3-D printers, solar and wind energy generators, and even those cool touch-screen soda machines. Now, the tricky part. Should Shadow just not give a damn and drop out the second he walks in there, or actually try to adjust and move on? Well, he knew which option his parents would want him to do, and that was the second option, but he didn't really feel like committing or applying actual work into anything right now. Shadow was too tired and depressed from recent events to really truly comprehend anything at the moment.

Shuffling his feet, Shadow made his way down the extremely narrow hallway to his tiny room. Laying on his bed, not bothering to remove his clothes, he grabbed his sheet and halfheartedly pulled it up before falling asleep, after staring blankly at the wall for several minutes. Life was NOT going to be easy for him here.

* * *

 

 

A bang on his door.

Shadow awoke with a start, jumping at the noise. Leaning over and checking the time, the clock read 4:54 AM. Grumbling and wondering why anyone in their right mind would be up at this hour, Shadow begrudgingly got up and walked towards his door. Looking through the peephole, he saw a guy around his age, with shaggy, dyed blue hair and a slightly nervous smile on his face and dark, forest-green eyes unlike Shadow's own deep amber ones. Sighing, he opened the door, much to his apparent neighbor's surprise, as the guy jumped.

"Oh, umm... hi!" the stranger said.

"Hello."

"Are you new here? I live next door, so I guess we're neighbors now, huh?"

"Yeah, that's probably correct."

"Oh, well, umm... sorry if I woke you up, I know It's kinda early and I-"

"It's fine."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, umm, alright then. Uh, you got a name?"

"....Shadow."

"Shadow? That's kinda... dark..." Shadow's new neighbor trailed off and smiled at his own pun. How pathetic.

"Yeah, well, blame my parents for that one." Shadow's lips formed a thin line.

"Okay, well if we're playing nicknames here, then I'm Sonic."

"OK."

"'OK'? Just, 'OK'? Isn't my name, like, awesome?"

"Not really." Shadow sighed. He was getting bored of his new 'friend' fast.

"Welp, if you need anything just holler, 'kay Shadow?"

"Right."

"Bye!"

And with that, 'Sonic' left and Shadow went back to bed.

This was going to be an interesting new life.

* * *

Sonic closed the door quietly to his apartment, lost in thought. He had so many questions about his new neighbor that it wasn't even funny. From his experience, the best way to get to know somebody is if you analyze everything about them when you first meet them and then when you are better acquaintanced with that person to compare their behaviors before and after being friends with them. Shadow, even after only a few minutes of conversation, already had a ton of mystery going on there. The guy was definentally putting up a facade. If Sonic was good at anything besides running track, it was reading people. Shadow seemed like the kind of person who did NOT want to be seen through. He was hiding something. Sonic could see it in those deep amber eyes of his. Behind all that sharp, edgy exterior, there was a guy in there, hurting. Hurting because of what, Sonic didn't know yet, but he would soon find out, hopefully.

Sonic was a nice guy, and if anything, he wanted to be Shadow's friend, that is, if the guy would let him. Shadow was obviously going through some kind of hard time in his life right now, and the best thing he needs is someone to talk to. Sonic, even though seemingly oblivious and fun on the outside, is a calculating and observant person on the inside. He knows what is secretly best for that person, even if that person doesn't know it yet. In this case, that person is Shadow.

Quietly tiptoeing around all the creaky parts in the floorboards so as not to wake his sleeping roommate passed out on the couch from overworking his brain on some advanced particle physics summer school, AKA Tails, Sonic quietly crept into his room and laid down. He had a lot to think about right now, and Shadow was at the top of his list, next to laundry, dinner, and breakfast. (dinner is always decided first in this household.) Recalling some things Sonic knew about him so far, Shadow was:

1) Deeply sad and hurting over something

2) Shielding his true thoughts from him, and,

3) Going through some serious teenage emo phase. 

Sonic frowned, not feeling happy with how little he knew about Shadow. Usually, when he met new people, he could read them so easily, and know that person better that themselves in a heartbeat just from their expression or the way they move. Shadow was different. When he was talking to him, the only indication that Shadow was even listening to him were that he responded to him and the occasional flicker of his eyes over the rest of his face. That was it. If Sonic wanted to know more about his mysterious neighbor, that meant getting to know Shadow through and through, knowing every secret and thought in his head.

In other words, becoming a friend. 


	2. Remembering and Moving In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadow has family flashbacks as he unpacks his old stuff and begins to move in. Sonic just kinda inserts himself and starts helping him unpack. Major Shadow POV, Minor Sonic POV. Tails is in this one. 
> 
>  
> 
> Basically, character development! *yay*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to thank you all for reading this and enjoy!!

It was late afternoon, and Shadow was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of a small hill of boxes. Unpacking was never fun, or easy. But this was different. He had no family to help him unpack or tell him where to put stuff. And the worst part was, he had at least two whole boxes containing family memories. 

And he had to do it alone.

Alone.

No matter how hard he could try to hide it, Shadow never really could be alone. If he were alone, he would be long dead. But this time, nobody was here to help him. Especially in his brooding state. 

Until a knock on the door.

Already guessing who it was, Shadow gets up and opens the door without hesitation, revealing none other than his annoying neighbor, Sonic. Today Sonic's hair seemed to be even messier than this morning's, sticking out at awkward angles. Not that Shadow's hair was any better, though. When he first got up, he checked his reflection, and _yikes_. He looked like he hadn't slept or seen the sun in days. 

Sonic greeted him with a happy "Hi, Shadow," and then looked over Shadow's shoulder to reveal his messy apartment littered with boxes. Sonic grinned. "Unpacking, yeah? Need help?" 

Shadow blinked. "Um, what?" It never occured to Shadow that Sonic would even try to offer help. He just met him about 10 hours ago!

Sonic sighed. "You know... do you need somebody to help you unpack your stuff?"

Shadow thought about this. He didn't really know Sonic, like, at all, but he seemed to be harmless, so maybe he wouldn't try to steal anything, or pull any tricks of the sort. On the  other hand, if Sonic found his family photos and started to question him, Shadow would probably have to ask him to leave. He just wanted to lock those old memories up somewhere and bury them. There was a drawer with a lock-pad on his dresser, maybe he could use that... and plus... if he let Sonic help him, he wouldn't be alone...

Realizing that he had been there, leaning against his door-frame for quite some time, and that Sonic was still there waiting for an answer, Shadow stepped aside and let Sonic in with a nod. _Don't pull anything on me,_ he thought. 

Looking around the apartment, Sonic reached to grab a box and opened it. Luckily, there were only books stacked neatly inside. Looking for Shadow's bookshelf, Sonic walked to the other end of the room and began stacking the books onto the first shelf neatly. Shadow reached down and grabbed the first box at his feet. He opened it, revealing more books. He walked over next to Sonic and began stacking up books on the second shelf. This close up to him, Shadow got a better look at Sonic. He was about a quarter inch shorter than him, but had longer legs and slimmer shoulders. He was probably a runner. Shadow, on the other hand, was also a runner, but he mainly was on the swim team. As a result, he had slightly broader shoulders and his legs weren't quite as long, but still longer than a lot of people's. Judging by his build, Sonic was probably best at running 800s for track as an event. 

As they unpacked the books in a slightly awkward silence, Sonic suddenly spoke up. "Do you want these stacked in any particular order? Like, alphabetically?" Shadow shrugged. "Doesn't matter, as long as it gets the job done." Sonic nodded, and continued. When they were done filling his entire bookshelf, Sonic moved to grab another box, except this one was labeled, "CLOTHES" Quickly thinking, Shadow stepped in and grabbed it before Sonic could. "I'm gonna go unpack in my room, you can just stay out here and get the kitchen stuff," Shadow said quickly, and turned the corner. _I do NOT need him seeing my fashion choices,_ Shadow thought, slightly flustered. 

When Shadow emerged, finished unpacking his clothes, he walked out into the tiny kitchen to see that Sonic was putting away silverware in a drawer. Reaching over, Shadow began to help him. When they were finished, Shadow walked over to the box that contained his microwave and pulled it out, placing it in the corner of the counter-top and plugging it onto the wall. Sonic did the same for his toaster. With the books and kitchen done, Shadow went over to the long and slim box containing his flat screen TV from home. _Home_ , Shadow thought, and looked at the remaining two boxes, both filled with family photos and memories. _Memories_ , the one thing he wished he didn't have right now. As Sonic went to pick up a memory box, Shadow suddenly exclaimed, "Wait!" earning a small jump from Sonic. "Uhmm, we should probably get the TV first, because it would be harder to do later on," Shadow said, hoping his excuse would play off. He really, _really_ didn't want Sonic questioning him about his family right now. Sonic just nodded, knowing that it was Shadow's apartment and that it was his stuff, so he wouldn't refuse. _Thank God_ , Shadow prayed. 

They opened the box for the TV, and then lifted it up together, each on either end, and lowered it down onto the stand. Shadow plugged everything in, and _voila_! Everything was unpacked! Except... 

"Uhmm... you can leave now. Thanks for helping me, I guess." 

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Ya sure? You've still got more boxes,"

"Yeah, It's fine, those boxes are full of... storage." 

"Well, okay. If you need anything just call through this wall," Sonic knocked against the wall the TV was against. "I'm literally right over there."

Slightly unsettled by suddenly knowing the walls were so thin, Shadow just shrugged. "Okay." 

"Welp, see ya." And with that, Sonic jogged out of his apartment and into his own, right next door. 

Shadow sat on his couch and turned on the TV. Scrolling through the list of TV shows, his remote cursor landed on _Steven Universe_ and he hit "PLAY."

 

* * *

                                                                                                               (POV SWITCH: SONIC: LATER THAT DAY)

 

Sonic woke up in his bed, TV still on from last night. He jumped out of bed and made his way to the kitchen where he could smell bacon. _YESSSSSSSSSSSSS_ Sonic thought. As he made it to his kitchen, he saw none other than Tails at the stove, frying literal _heaven_ , on a skillet. "Hey, Sonic," Tails said. Wow, Tails looked tired. Like, on the verge of passing out. Sonic sighed. "Tails..." he began in a suspicious tone. Tails perked his head up. "Yeahhhhhh....?" Judging on the guilty look on his face, Tails already seemed to know where this was going. "Were you up past curfew again?" Sonic accused. 

Tails sighed. "Yes."

Sonic facepalmed and leaned his elbows against the counter, resting his forehead on his hands. "Tails, why? We've been over this at least 10 times this week! I don't care about your robotics project just as long as you actually sleep for once! I mean, god, you're basically living off of adrenaline, coffee, and sheer willpower! How do you even do it, dude?" 

Tails shrugged. "I don't know, actually. But, on the bright side, I just installed a 400 terabyte drive into my new project, a fully holographic computer with Siri, Google Home, and Cortana COMBINED which basically equals Jarvis. Also, I downloaded _Fortnite_. As of 3:27 this morning, I have 26 wins." 

Sonic's jaw literally dropped. "You were up all night playing Fortnite? Without me? How dare you dude. But that's besides the point! The point is that you were up when you weren't supposed to be, so you are officially grounded from Overwatch and Crash Bandicoot until you get your priorities straight. 

Tails groaned. "AWWWWW, dude, not Crash Bandicoot!! Why, cruel world, WHY?!" 

Sonic sighed. "It's the way it has to be."

Taking the skillet from Tails and basically inhaling half the bacon, Sonic jumped up and was about to tell Tails that he wanted to go see Shadow again, when Tails rattled a bottle of ADHD pills in front of his face. Sonic groaned. He hated taking these things. So what, he was a little... fidgety. And couldn't stay still for more than 10 seconds without blowing up. And got extremely hyper for no reason. Pretty much all the time. But Sonic sighed and took them anyways, just to make Tails happy. Tails is basically his best-friend-brother. They've been living together for god-knows-how-long after Sonic's mom took Tails in from an abusive family. Then, when Sonic got an amazingly well paying job at a Wendy's that payed at least $7 above minimal wage which was huge, Sonic's mom had agreed to get Sonic an apartment so that he could be energetic and free. Of course, Tails wanted to live with him, and so Sonic happily agreed on his friends request. Tails would pay for any fees involving nerdy science stuff and Sonic would pay half the rent while his mom paid the other half. Thus, the living space was taken care of. 

"Hey, Tails..." Sonic began. 

"Yeah?"

"Well... you know how I met Shadow the other day? He's weird. It's like he's hiding something, but I don't know what and it's driving me insane. How do I get to know him better?"

Tails thought a moment. "Well, he's new right? So, he probably needs help moving in or something. Why don't you go over and help him?" 

"YOU ARE A GENIUS! Thanks, buddy!" Sonic jogged out of the room and down the hall. Time to see what Shadow was hiding. 

 

* * *

 

Sonic knocked on Shadow's door, waiting for an answer. Surprisingly, it only took a moment for the door to open and not longer, revealing a very messy Shadow. His dyed hair was unruly and shaggy, his clothes were the same as previously, only more wrinkled, and the guy looked like he didn't sleep all night. His face looked slightly more pale and his eyes had a dead inside look. Sonic tried not to cringe and smiled. This guy was obviously going through a hard time.

"Hi, Shadow. Unpacking, yeah? Need help?" 

Shadow looked mildly shocked. He probably didn't even expect anyone to offer. After seeming to think about it, he let Sonic in with a nod. As Sonic walked in, he looked around. The place was identical to his apartment, if not smaller. His and Tails' had an extra bedroom but that was pretty much it. Sonic noticed a pile of boxes, and walked over, grabbing the first one he saw. Shadow hung back, probably suspicious of Sonic, a total stranger, going through his stuff. He opened the box to find books, and sensed Shadow relaxing slightly behind him. _Hmmm,_ so in one of these boxes, there was the answer to Shadow's defensive nature. 

Walking over to the bookshelf, Sonic started unloading the boxes. Shadow walked over and helped him. Occasionally glancing over at Shadow, Sonic realized that he was just a tiny bit shorter than him. Looking at his hair, he realized that his natural hair color was probably black, and that the only dyed part was the red. Shadow's eyes were a deep amber, but against the light they looked almost translucent. His shoulders were slightly broader, and his torso was longer. 

All of a sudden, Sonic wondered if Shadow wanted the books in a specific order. After all, Shadow was new here and probably had some kind of organization system he used to keep everything in order. Like Tails, and how he organized all of his robotics stuff in bins. Sonic's room, personally, was a literal tornado, so he didn't really know what it was like to be organized. 

"Do you want these stacked in any particular order? Like, alphabetically?" Sonic asked. 

"Doesn't matter, as long as it gets the job done." _Hmmm, so he doesn't care about organization..._ Sonic thought. _Well, at least, not in the current state he's in_. 

Finishing up, Sonic reached to grab another box, but was interrupted by a pair of arms grabbing it before he could. "I'm gonna go unpack in my room, you can just stay out here and get the kitchen stuff," Shadow said hurriedly. _Huh, could that box contain what Shadow is hiding?_ Sonic wondered, before he saw the label and thought, _Ohhhhhh, he's just unpacking clothes, okay._

Hearing the door close to Shadow's room, Sonic got up and began searching through boxes to find the kitchen supplies. As he opened the first box, Sonic didn't find kitchen supplies, but instead a family photo of what appeared to be Shadow's family. Shadow looked so... happy, and normal. Looking through the box some more, he found even more photos of family, and a blonde girl a couple years younger than Shadow. She appeared a lot in the majority of photos Shadow had. A girlfriend, maybe? But upon closer inspection, Sonic saw the photos of the girl and Shadow slowly get less happy and more and more depressing. There was one photo of the girl in a hospital bed with Shadow by her side and holding her hand. This time, the girl looked deathly sick. Huh, maybe she died and Shadow is just depressed? But I don't see his family around here either... you'd think they'd live with him unless... Sonic's eyes widened. Unless... they were... dead? Sonic's mind went reeling. Losing his entire family like that, no wonder why he's so messed up! 

Hearing the door to Shadow's room open, Sonic quickly closed the box and frantically searched for silverware, finding it and rushing over to a drawer to put them away. Shadow emerged not five seconds later, saw Sonic, and went to help him. Grabbing the microwave box, Shadow walked over to a corner counter-top and plugged it into the wall there. Sonic grabbed the toaster and did the same. _Now, to test something_. Walking back and reaching for a box Sonic knew contained family photos, Shadow suddenly exclaimed, "Wait!" _Aha, so family is a sensitive topic, got it._ Sonic thought. "Uhmm, we should probably get the TV first, because it would be harder to do later on," Shadow said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. _Okay,_ Sonic thought. _I see what he's trying to do._ Going over to the box containing the TV, they lifted it together and placed it on the stand. 

Before Sonic could get to another box, Shadow suddenly said, 

"Uhmm... you can leave now. Thanks for helping me, I guess."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. He totally knew what was going on. "Ya sure? You've still got more boxes,"

"Yeah, It's fine, those boxes are full of... storage."

"Well, okay. If you need anything just call through this wall," Sonic knocked against the wall the TV was against. "I'm literally right over there."

Nearly laughing at the slightly alarming look on Shadows face at the new knowledge of thin walls, Sonic said, "Welp, see ya!" and jogged out of the apartment and into his own. He plopped down on the couch and started up his PS4. He needed to beat Tails on Fortnite. 

Nearly 4 hours later and sporting 56 wins, Sonic was found passed out on his couch by Tails, who had just emerged from his room after experimenting with his new project. Taking the goggles off his face and onto the top of his head, Tails crept into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge to find none other than... AHA!! His secret stash of chocolate frosting he had been hoarding from Sonic in a secret drawer for about a week. Grinning mischievousy to himself, he took three cans and headed back into his room and probably not sleep. All of a sudden, Tails' train of thought was cut short by seeing the "#1 Victory Royale!" Icon on Sonics TV. _Oh hell no,_ Tails thought, and ran into his room. 

 

 

 

Don't judge, okay? I had to make gaming references because I'm needy like that. Also, this is kinda how I imagined Tails' and Sonic's brotherly relationship to be. They would always try to outdo each other in one way or another that would eventually end in one of them surrendering on purpose, (Sonic) or one of them using their adorableness to their advantage (Tails) 

Hope you enjoyed!  

\- Strider  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *don't worry, sonic and shadow will interact more coming up soon...;)*


	3. Getting Mail and Going Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically, Shadow gets his high school schedule and school supplies list in the mail and so does Sonic. Sonic invites Shadow to shop for school stuff with him and they somehow wind up in a race because of annoying parking spots.

Sonic woke up groggily from his spot on the couch. Looking at his TV, still on from the night before, he smiled.  _Hah,_ he thought. He got up and walked down the hall to his room. Hearing what sounded like a drill coming from Tails’ room, Sonic warily approached the stainless-steel reinforced door of his best-friend-brother. Talis’ door was decorated like a fridge. It had multiple burn marks and dents from projects gone wrong. It also had a signs like, “WARNING: PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR REQUIRED,” and “CAUTION: SHARP EDGES,” and “EXPERIMENTAL QUARANTINE ZONE: DO NOT ENTER.” 

Sonic cringed at that last one. He knew that when Tails put up that sign, shit got real. Fighting his curiosity, Sonic walked the extra two feet to his door, right next to Tails’ lab. Opening the door and skirting around the many empty candy wrappers and dirty socks, Sonic made it to his messy bed and sat down, still only half awake and feeling a throbbing in the back of his head as a result from gaming all night. _“Ughhhhhh...”_   Sonic groaned aloud. 

Just then, Tails apparently decided to make Sonic's oncoming headache even worse by pulling out his welding gun. The zapping and high pitched noises emanating from Sonic’s left wall were enough for him to dare to go into Tails’ room. _But,_ his conscience told him,  _if you go in there, the noise will be even worse._  Sonic really hated logic sometimes. 

Then, over the din of noise, he heard a sharp and staccato knock on the door. Already guessing who it was, Sonic dashed out and opened it to reveal a very grumpy Shadow with his arms crossed over his chest and a nasty glare, making him look even more depressed than he already probably was. "What's all this noise? We have thin walls, you know. I'm literally  _right over there,_ " Shadow gritted his teeth and tapped the wall joining the two apartment rooms. Sonic, noticing how Shadow used his own words against him, frowned and put on a blank expression. "Haha, very clever, smart guy. Anyways, sorry for the racket, Tails is working on a new project right now, so it's probably best if you take a few steps back. He just put up his "QUARANTINE" sign today, which means he'll probably be drilling holes in something all night. Or playing around with the homemade flamethrower he made out of whipped cream and a _Pringles_ can. Or he's just devising a plan to steal back Crash Bandicoot which I hid from him because I grounded him. Either way, it's best to wait it out, is all."

Shadow just stared at Sonic with a very, very confused look. Sonic facepalmed after about 5 seconds. "Ohhhh god, that's right! You haven't met Tails yet! He's my adopted brother that lives with me. He has a knack for inventing stuff. He's probably smarter than any of us, even though he's like 4 years younger. Sorry about that." Sonic grinned sheepishly. 

Shadow looked at him. "No, no, it's fine. I just didn't know that you had a rooommate, is all. But, seriously, a homemade flamethrower? Ooooh, what I could do with that..." Shadow's face twisted into a grin. Sonic looked at him. "Well, ya pyromaniac, I'm gonna go downstairs to get away from Tails and his...  _experiments_ for a bit, wanna come with? I just got an email from the school website saying that our schedules are supposed to be delivered today in the mail. Wait, you _are_ going to Mobius High, right?" Sonic talked so fast, Shadow could barely comprehend. "Well, umm... 'Maybe' to the first question, and 'Yes' to the second question." 

"Sooooo... _yes_ , you are going to Mobius High? Sweet. Why a _maybe_ to the first question?"

"Well... uhh... I'm kinda tired... your friend woke me up, and I also have some legal stuff to go through, so maybe another time-"

" _WOAH_ , WOAH, WOAH... legal stuff? You get in trouble with the police or something?"

" _NO!_ No, no, no, it's not like that, it's just..." Shadow ran his hands through his hair. "It's complicated. Family stuff." Shadow sighed and looked to his side in a forlorn silence. 

Realizing that Sonic had just hit a sensitive topic without knowing it, Sonic just said, "Oh." Suddenly getting an idea to try and know more about this 'legal stuff',Sonic sighed aloud. "Well, do you need any help with this legal stuff? What are we dealing with here? A divorce? A reunion? A funeral?"

Something in Shadow's eyes softened, and he looked down. "Yes, actually." He said in a very quiet voice. Sonic's mind did a double take.

Oh _._

 _Oh_.

 _OH_.  

 _So I was right,_ Sonic thought.  _His family is probably dead and he's living here alone. But I can't be sure. I need to be positive on what the problem is before I can start really helping Shadow._ Sonic decided to invite Shadow again. "Well, when you're done with that legal stuff, how about you text me..." Sonic pulled out a paper and pencil from the rack by the door, "and we'll order pizza or something. Sound good?" Shadow looked at him, surprised. "Uhh... yeah, sure. Got nothing better to do, anyways." Shadow took the paper with Sonic's number and backed out of the door frame. Before he could fully leave, however, Sonic grabbed Shadow's arm. Forest green eyes met deep amber ones and the stare held. "Hey..." Sonic began. "Sorry for your loss." Shadow's eyes widened slightly and he looked as if he was about to cry, and this shocked Sonic. Letting go of his arm, he watched Shadow leave with a very, very sad expression on his face.  Shadow looked like a sad puppy. He really needed help. Not knowing what else to do, Sonic put his headphones on and passed out on the couch. 

* * *

Not 3 hours after Sonic fell asleep, he was awoken by the music in his headphones being interrupted by his ringtone. Shooting up, he quickly unplugged his headphones and realized that the apartment was silent again. _Whew. Sounds like Tails is done... for now, at least._  He then looked at his phone. It was some random number. _Oh, wait..._ he thought. _It's probably Shadow... why did he call me instead of texting?_ he thought. Curiously, he picked up his phone and said "Yo." A sigh came from the other end. Yep. That's Shadow. "Hey. Answer your phone the first time next time, yeah?" 

"Huh?" Sonic asked, and paused the call to check his messages. He had 5 missed messages from Shadow's number. Resuming the call, Sonic guiltily said "Oh, uh, sorry. Tails' noise apparently caused me to pass out from annoyance. Anyways, still up for pizza or something?"

"Actually, I was more curious about this whole school schedule stuff. Got any idea where I could get mine?"  
  
"Huh? You don't know where the mail room is? Don't worry, just meet me outside my door and-" Sonic was cut off by the dial tone. Shadow hung up on him. Not 2 seconds later, a knock on the door was heard. Getting up, Sonic opened it and found Shadow standing there with his phone still to his face. "Hello," Shadow said. 

"Uh, hi. Let's go, I guess." 

* * *

 Shadow walked with Sonic down the hall after Sonic left a note to Tails on the fridge. He was still shocked by recent events, his mind in a sort of haze-like half-awake stage. First, when he woke up at 6:00 AM to a knock on his door, he found a guy that was with the local funeral home waiting there for him with papers to plan the funeral and stuff. All costs for the funeral would be paid by the government, so no need to worry about that. Then, it being way too early for his liking, Shadow went back to bed, only to be woken up 3 hours later by an obnoxious drilling noise coming from next door. He tried to go back to sleep for 10 minutes before eventually going next door to complain, deciding to use Sonic's own comment about thin walls right back at him. Then, out of nowhere, Shadow gets invited to have pizza with Sonic and accidentally tells him about 'legal stuff', eventually leading to reveal that he had a funeral to plan. He didn't want Sonic to know that it was his entire family's funeral, in fact... he didn't even mean to mention the funeral at all! But then Sonic gave him his number anyways, and then actually apologized for Shadow's loss. That almost made Shadow cry, right then and there, but he utterly refused his body to cry in front of someone else, especially Sonic. That would be very, very pathetic of him and a vulnerable moment because then Sonic would know how to manipulate him using his family. Next, Shadow used Sonic's number multiple times after somewhat finishing the funeral planning, but not really because it wasn't right for a son to plan his parent's funerals. That was just messed up, especially at his current age of only 16. After getting no response, he eventually decided to call Sonic, being met with a very tired sounding "Huh?" on the other end of the line. Then, after Sonic recommended pizza again, Shadow diverted the conversation to school so that Sonic would hopefully show him where the dang mailbox was in this place. After getting the answer he wanted, Shadow hung up and quickly went to Sonic's door. 

And so here he was. 

They walked down the hall, and then took a right, heading towards the elevator and stairs. They took the stairs. After going down 3 floors to the basement area, Sonic led Shadow through a pair of double doors that opened up into a room with multiple thin lockers with keyholes... the mailboxes. Shadow remembered his-it was in section 'E', number 7. Taking out his key, Shadow unlocked the mailbox and grabbed the single envelope inside. Him and Sonic too the elevator back up this time in a comfortable silence. When they got back to their hallway, Sonic started jumping up and down excitedly. "Come on, come on, come on, show me your schedule! I wanna have classes with you so I have someone to annoy." Shadow glared. "Haha, very funny," he said without enthusiasm. Opening his envelope with the school logo, Shadow looked at his schedule:

 

PERIOD 1: Physical Science, Room 127, Mrs. La Croix _La Croix?_ Shadow thought. _Like the drink?_

PERIOD 2: English, Room 139, Ms. Vazquez. 

PERIOD 3: World Studies, Room 239, Mr. Noodle _Mr. Noodle?_   Shadow thought.  _What. The. Fuck._

PERIOD 4: Studyhall, Cafeteria, Semester 1 

PERIOD 4: Food Science, Room 301, Mr. Snac'urz, Semester 2  _WHAT IS IT WITH THEIR NAMES?!?!_ Shadow thought. 

PERIOD 5: Art 1, Mr. Hanna, Room 100

PERIOD 6: Algebra 1, Mrs. Smith, Room 101 _Oh thank god, a normal name._

PERIOD 7: Health, Mr. Demo, Room 200, Semester 1

PERIOD 7: Studyhall, Cafeteria, Semester 2

 

Shadow looked over at Sonic's and found that... 

Their schedules were exactly the same. 

That was both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because he wouldn't be alone, bad because Sonic would antagonize him. 

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS! NOW I HAVE FREE CLASSROOM ENTERTAINMENT!" Sonic cheered. Shadow had never seem the blue-haired teen act this way before. It was like he was high on sugar or something.  Then again, he hasn't known him for long, maybe this is how he normally is... 

"Dude, why are you so hyper today?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said, why are you so hyper?"  
  
"Oh, um, probably because-HEY LOOK OH MY GOD THERE'S A BIRD OUT THE WINDOW!" Sonic suddenly jumped up and and ran over to the window at the end of the hallway.

"Sonic."  
  
"What?"

"Do you have ADD?"

"Yeah, why? OH SHIT IF FORGOT MY PILLS! Oh, well. It's probably fine."

Shadow sighed. He did not feel like dealing with an overly hyper teenager today. Is this what parents feel like?

Walking over to Sonic and directing him back in the direction of their apartments, Shadow rifled through the envelope some more to find his school supply list, and oh god, there was a seemingly endless amount of stuff to buy. Shadow certainly didn't have any of this... in fact... that Algebra calculator looks pretty expensive... not money he's willing to spend right now... Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Shadow walked back to Sonic's apartment and walked inside when Sonic invited him in. The place was certainly more unique than his own plain room, but overall the same design, if not a little bigger and cluttered. There was an allen wrench kit on the kitchen counter, as well as a few wrenches and pipe connectors. Shadow heard small clinking noises and looked over the kitchen counter to see a pair of legs sticking out from under the sink. "Uh, Sonic? Is this normal?" Shocked by the sudden presence, Tails jumped and bumped his head underneath the sink "Ow! Oh, uh, hi there. I'm Tails, and you must be Shadow? Hey, Sonic." Sonic waved and walked towards them. Tails stood up hurriedly, revealing a small boy not older than 12 with a sprig of blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "Tails, did you bust the sink pipes and contaminate our water supply, _again_ by draining hydroflouric acid down the sink? _Again_?," Sonic asked. 

"Heh, sorry"  
  
"Well, I'm not paying for it this time."  
  
"Whaaaat?"

"You heard me."  
  
"But I'm unemployed!"

"Then make a growth serum so you're old enough to get employed."  
  
"What?! that's bullsh-" Sonic cut Tails off with a finger to his lips. "No cussing," he said. "Says the one," Shadow snickered. Sonic glared. 

"Ugh, fine! I'll stop making bacon for two. Whole. Months." Tails challenged. 

"WOAH, WHAT?"

"Did I stutter?"

"OKAY, FINE! DRINK ACID WATER!"  
  
"Luckily for me then, I'm currently working on a water filter than can filter out approximately 25.6% of all toxins found in normal water!"

"Well screw you, then!"  
  
"HAH!"

And thus, the argument was ended. 

 

* * *

Sonic sighed. "Fine, whatever, do your nerdy stuff. Me and Shadow are gonna go shopping for this school stuff-" "Umm, we are?"  "-so we'll be back in a few hours, 'kay?"  
  
"Sure," Tails replied. 

"Well, better get moving. Don't want all the stores to run out of stock before we get there. I heard that a lot of new students are openly enrolling this year.” Sonic said. He knew that Shadow technically never agreed to the shopping part, but Sonic was making him do it. Shadow needed to be out in the open again, instead of holed up in his apartment thinking depressing thoughts. 

"Yeah, whatever," Shadow said. Sonic smiled. "All right, then. Tails, I'm taking the car I'll be back in a bit," 

“What? I need the car!”

”Tails, you can’t drive.” 

“Yes, I can!”

”No you can’t.”

”We both remember that one time when you were knocked out by Amy because she-“

”ALL RIGHT, FINE, YOU DID DRIVE ME HOME” Sonic interrupted. He did not feel like remembering that one time when Amy tried to- er- accidentally kill him with a random sledgehammer she found in Sonic’s car because she wanted to try and help him fix something that caused his car to break down, which is why he called her that night because Tails was busy. Seriously, Sonic already knew that she liked him but he did certainly NOT like her that way. She was a nice friend but could be pretty bitchy most of the time mainly because Sonic has so many friends and because she wants him to herself, exactly the reason why Sonic didn’t like her. And also because he‘s gay. But only Tails knew that. And possibly his mom. 

Meanwhile, Shadow was watching this whole thing happen with a curious expression on his face. He was probably thinking that Amy was Sonics girlfriend or something. Boy, was he wrong. 

Sonic sighed. “Tails, what do you need the car for? You have a moped license. Go drive out and buy whatever you need or whatever.”

”Can’t. It broke. The heat shield protecting the motor jammed and the only thing that can unstick it is a hammer which I threw away after that one incident so...”

Sonic groaned. “Well, when we get back, you can have the car, okay? Do NOT get in a crash or I swear to god”

”Sure” 

“Anyways.... let’s get going” 

Sonic and Shadow walked out of the door and took the elevator down to the garage level where Sonic pulled out his keys and pressed the alert button, hearing the faint chirp of a car about 30 feet away. “Right, then”

Sonic opened the passenger door, holding it open for Shadow like a chauffeur. "After you," he said in an overly dramatic fancy tone. Shadow just grinned a little and rolled his eyes, slipping into the black leather car seat. Sonic got in a moment later, put his keys in the ignition, and drove off in the direction of the nearest Staples.

Upon arriving, the two teens were forced to park in the farthest available spot because the parking lot was packed. "Ughhhhhhhhhh" Sonic groaned and slammed his head against the wheel, causing his car alarm to go off. "Shit!" With a chirp, the noise was settled and the two boys were outside, beginning the seemingly endless trek to the Staples in the relaicely large plaza in the summer heat. Looking over at Shadow, Sonic marveled how the guy wasn't dead from heat stroke. Shadow was wearing black pants with red stripes down the sides, a red t shit and a black hoodie with a fluffy hood. Sonic also noticed two golden rings hung on a chain around his neck. Sonic on the other hand, was wearing a simple blue tank top and brown cargo shorts. He had his bandana around his neck, but other than that, nothing else was causing any extra heat. 

Still being really far away from the store, Sonic, getting an idea, nudged Shadow's side. "Hey, wanna race?" Shadow stopped and looked at him sideways. Grinning, he said, "Okay." Smiling to himself, Sonic thought "Hah! There's no way he could win, he's wearing too much! He'll heat up and get tired faster." 

Similar thoughts were going through Shadow's head. "There's no way I could lose. I'll make it there in no time!" 

Backing up so that they were parallel to each other and using the rear tires of the car to mark their starting line, the two boys got ready. Shadow took off his hoodie and tied it around his waist. He tucked the rings under his shirt so they wouldn't move around and cause drag. Sonic stretched his legs and walked up to Shadow. "First one through the doors of Staples wins," Sonic said.

"All right. Ready, Sonic?" 

"You're on, Shadow." 

"Right."

"Three"

"Three"

"Two"

"Two"

"One"

"One"

"..... GO!"

They both said in unison as they started off.

They moved in perfect synch, their strides the same difference apart and arms pumping at the same time. Looking over at Sonic, Shadow got an idea. Slowly, Shadow started to close the distance between their bodies, so that there was less space in between them for movement. Luckily for Shadow, he was good at running in between tight spaces; Sonic, not so much. Losing his balance ever so slightly, Sonic dropped an inch behind, just as Shadow broke off and sprinted forwards, putting a good 10 feet in between them. Sonic, not willing to be defeated, put on a burst of speed and easily caught up with Shadow. Not stopping and going even faster, Sonic winked at Shadow as he passed him. Both of them reaching the middle of the parking lot, Shadow suddenly broke off, going around a different way. Looking after him curiously, Sonic just shrugged and continued on, occasionally seeing some of Shadows spiky black and red hair poking out above the cars. Having a straight shot to the front entrance doors, Sonic smiled, beginning to embrace his win. Then, out of nowhere Shadow swung around one of the pillars holding up the foundation of the plaza. Shadow was now in the lead by a good 20 feet, and only about the same distance away from the door. Gritting his teeth, Sonic went even faster. Nobody, nobody has ever beaten him at a running event! 

Just as Shadows fingers grazed the door handle, Sonic jumped and grabbed him, sending them both tumbling off to the left. Thank god there were only about two people outside, or else they would have run everybody over. Everybody else was inside Staples or another store, buying stuff and staying out of the heat. 

They both landed with a grunt, Sonic on top of Shadow in a tangled mess of limbs, their bodies uncomfortably close and sticky from sweat and heat. Sonic's head was on Shadow's chest and he could hear his heart beating a mile a minute. With a slight flush to his face at the position they wound up in, Sonic wiped the sweat off his forehead and sat up a little more to make it less awkward with a tired sigh. "What- what did you just do?" Sonic panted.

"I- I went around... Ugh.. and used a shopping cart to wheel myself to the entrance where I jumped off and used the pillar for momentum." Shadow gasped for air. 

That never occurred to Sonic. If he had done that he would have won for sure.

Shadow rested his head against the hot concrete with an exhausted sigh. His heart was still pounding a mile a minute. He had expected Sonic to be fast, but, damn he was fast.

Sonic's heart was also beating extremely fast. He could hear and feel the pressure of the blood in his ears. 

As if just then realizing Sonic was on top of him, Shadow sat up and groaned exhaustedly. "Hey, get off, I'm not a mattress, got it?" 

"Uh, yeah, sure. Sorry." Sonic hurriedly untangled himself from Shadow and stood up awkwardly, feeling his face burn up, and not from the summer heat.

Noticing that Shadow had gotten up as well, Sonic proceeded to follow behind him and into Staples. Almost as soon as they were through the doors, Shadow whirled around with a sly and victorious look on his face. "I win," he said. 

Realizing that, according to his own rules, the first person into Staples won, Sonic groaned and slouched behind Shadow as they looked for school supplies. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well then! Had fun writing this one... I will definentally have more time to write since its summer now... They will interact more


	4. Meeting Kuckles and Going Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet Knuckles in this one. The three of them wind up hanging out at Starbucks and Sonic gets high on caffeine. Shadow is forced to help him. Shadow thinks depressing shit. Plot. Character development on Knuckles' part.

 

Slouching behind Shadow, the two teens looked around for notebooks and anything else needed on the supply list which was in Shadows hand. "Okay, notebooks.... then pencils... now pens...." Shadow thought aloud. Sonic admired Shadow's face as the dark haired teen thought about whether or not they needed blue or black pens. Sonic noticed how Shadows lips pulled down in a seemingly forever frown and how his right eyebrow raised slightly whenever he was annoyed. His left eyebrow raised when he was thoughtful. He cocked his head to the left when he was impatient, and then to the right when he was tired. 

He bit his lip and fidgeted with his fingers when he was sad. He looked down when he didn't want to talk. He put his hand on his right hip when he was texting with his left hand, and vice versa. He almost always had his arms crossed like he was guarding something, or trying to be guarded. He almost never smiled. Sonic had never heard him laugh either. Sonic was starting to notice the tiniest of details in Shadows behavior, and he wasn't quite sure why. It probably had something to do with the fact that he was trying to become better friends with Shadow, though. 

As Shadow threw the pens into the cart and moved further down the isle for highlighters, Sonic moved an isle down to look for binders and subject dividers. Just as he was about to reach for one, he heard a loud CLANG!, then the thud of a body hitting the linoleum floors, then a string of half-muttered curses. Frowning, Sonic anxiously walked over to where the noise was heard two isles down. The muttering got louder, and Sonic swore he recognized that voice. "...Goddammit, why in the hell do they have to put the calculators behind a whole bunch of shit, why can't they just be out in the open..." the voice muttered. Sonic rounded the corner, only to be met with someone else's head. 

"OW!" They both shouted in unison. Staggering back, Sonic grabbed his head while looking up to reveal...

"Knuckles?!"

"Sonic?!" 

The red-haired teen staggered back and looked at Sonic with his violet eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?" 

"Buying school stuff, obviously. What did you get yourself into this time, Knuckles? The whole reason I came over here is because I heard you." Sonic looked up to see Knuckles' expression. Yes, he looked _up_. Knuckles was pretty tall, at least for his age. He was about 6 foot 3 while Sonic himself was only about 5 foot 7, but still taller than Tails who was only just hitting 5 feet tall. Then, Shadow emerged from out of nowhere. "What's going on? I heard shouting," he said. "Oh, nothing much, I just bumped into an old friend of mine. Knuckles, meet Shadow, my new neighbor and acquaintance on my school shopping spree." Knuckles looked at Shadow. "Hey," he said. "Hello," Shadow said back. Sonic looked into their shopping cart and found that Shadow had already gotten everything they needed. "Wow, Shadow. You could have just waited for me instead of getting everything on your own, ya know? It makes me feel bad." Sonic pouted. Shadow looked at him. "Good," he said, and promptly walked to the check out. "Wow, he's your new neighbor? What's his problem?" Knuckles asked. Sonic adverted his gaze. "Well, uh, he's just going through... a phase or something, I guess." Knowing the real reason why Shadow was the way he was, Sonic didn't want to tell Knuckles anything yet... especially because Sonic didn't even know that what he thought was wrong about Shadow was true or not.

"Ah,"

"Yeah. Anyways, I better catch up to him before he tries to pay for everything, I know he can't afford it."

"All right. Umm, hey, can I come with you? Dad sorta just dropped me off and I don't have a ride home. I'll buy you Starbucks." Knuckles smiled.

"Seriously?!"

"Yup,"

"Tails never lets me have caffeine!"

"I wonder why," Knuckles said sarcastically.

"Haha. Anyways, come on, dude! I want caffeine!" 

Knuckles just rolled his eyes and followed after him. 

* * *

 After waiting almost an hour for their stuff to finish being checked out, the trio walked back to their car with two carts full of stuff, Knuckles' supplies included. As they were loading everything in, they realized too late that there was barely enough room in the trunk of Sonic's Ford Focus to fit everything without having to take up the back seats, where Knuckles would have to sit. Not wanting to sit in the back because he was taller than the both of them and would barely fit, Knuckles happily challenged Sonic and Shadow to rock paper scissors. 15 rounds of rock paper scissors later, Sonic wound up sitting in the back. Then, 35 rounds of rock paper scissors later to decide the driver, Shadow wound up driving while Knuckles remained in the passenger seat. As Shadow started the ignition, Sonic jumped a little, rustling the many bags splayed about on the floor and on top of him. He glared at Shadow. "You know I don't agree with this, right? You BETTER not crash my car or ELSE," Sonic seethed. "One scratch and you will PAY."

Shadow adjusted the rear-view mirror, looking back at Sonic who was barely visible under the piles of bags. Looking up, Sonic locked eyes with Shadow and shivered a little. Shadow's deep amber eyes seemed to literally stare into his soul and it honestly sent shivers down Sonic's spine. Looking away, Shadow turned on the AC and reclined the seat a little, making himself comfortable. "I won't," he said, with an air of confidence that made Sonic relax. Stepping his foot on the pedal, Shadow backed out of the parking space and turned away, down to the main street and towards the nearest Starbucks. The entire car trip, Sonic was praying to any higher power that Shadow would NOT crash his car, because he was driving like a crazy person. They almost ran over, like, 5 elderly people, skipped 4 stop signs, and nearly got into about 7 car accidents. Every turn, bump, and curve was like a mini rollercoaster. Shadow, however, seemed perfectly comfortable in his place, driving with one hand while the other sat across his chest in a kind of half arm-cross. His left leg was crossed over his right one as his right leg controlled both gas and brakes. His seat was reclined rather far back, giving him an overall relaxed but controlled look. Knuckles looked as if he were about to barf out of the open window, but just then, they turned into the Starbucks' busy drive-thru line. 

Sonic exhaled and Knuckles relaxed his death grip on the door handle. 

"Dude?! Why do you drive like a crazy person?! You almost got us killed like ten times!" Sonic yelled.   
  
"Yeah, seriously, what the hell?! I was about ready to jump out of this car." Knuckles exclaimed. 

Shadow rolled his eyes. "I'm not used to driving cars," he said.

 _What?!_   Sonic thought. _He drives a motorcycle? That never occurred to me... wait... is_ that  _why there's a new motorcycle in the apartment lot?_ Sonic let his mind wander as they waited in the seemingly forever drive-thru line. Finally, they pulled up to the menu and speaker to make their order. "Hi, welcome to Starbucks, may I take your order?" the woman on the other end said. "Hey, yeah, just give me one second," Shadow responded. "Take your time!" the woman said. Shadow turned around to look at Sonic. "Knuckles told me that Tails never lets you have caffeine, and I am nearly 100% positive that it has to do with your ADHD. So, you're getting a hot chocolate." Sonic's eyes widened. "WHAT?! NO!" Knuckles looked back at him. "It's true, man, I just told you that I'd buy you Starbucks. They don't  _only_ have caffeine-related things here. It's just what they're known for." He gave a devilish smirk. Sonic groaned and slammed his head against the back of Shadow's seat. "Can I  _please_ have something with caffeine?" "No," Shadow and Knuckles said in unison. "Pretty please?" "NO!- Oh god, no, Shadow, don't look back there, he's doing puppy eyes at me. You do not know the power of Sonic puppy eyes until you fall victim to his adorableness." Knuckles said in a dramatic voice. Shadow looked back despite Knuckles' warning. "Puppy eyes have no effect on m- well, _dammit,_ " Shadow cursed. He looked forwards again. Knuckles and Shadow frantically looked at each other, trying to decide whether or not to succumb to Sonic's puppy eyes. Giving up, Shadow turned to the ordering screen and started talking. 

Sonic didn't stop with the puppy eyes until he had been given his Grande Caramel Macchiato. 

Shadow and Knuckles looked back, mesmerized, as Sonic drained the drink in under a minute. 

* * *

 

"Dude, I can't believe we actually let him have caffeine." 

Shadow sighed. "I know."  
  
"I mean, we  _almost_ didn't do it!"

"I know."

"And now  _look_ at what we've done!"

"I  _know,_ dammit!" 

The two boys were currently looking at Sonic, passed out in the back of the car and cuddling the last grocery bag. Shadow was currently at the apartment complex, and had already finished bringing everything upstairs. When he had first pulled in, Sonic was perfectly fine, maybe a little hyper, but fine. Then, when he came back, he found him splayed out in the back, totally passed out. Knuckles gave Shadow his contact information so that they could keep in touch, so as soon as Shadow found Sonic like that, he immediately started a Video Chat with Knuckles so that he could see. So, here Shadow was, trying to figure out a way to get Sonic upstairs, preferably without waking him up. After all, Tails would be furious if he ever found out Sonic drank an entire Caramel Macchiato by himself. In under a minute. And Shadow also did  _not_ want to see how hyper Sonic would be when he woke up. 

"How am I supposed to go about getting him up 3 flights of stairs? I just walked in there, and the elevators are under repair! Like, what the hell, they were working perfectly fine earlier today!" Shadow groaned. 

"I don't know. I mean, Sonic's actually surprisingly heavy for his size, and the few times that I've had to pick him up were during wrestling matches. Now, it's his dead weight we're talking about here! Are you gonna be able to carry him, man?" Knuckles questioned. 

Shadow sized Sonic up. There was a slight height difference, but other than that, they were relatively the same in body shape. He could probably do it. 

"Well, I'm surprisingly  _strong_ for my size, so we'll see. I will contact you if any complications arise. See you later."

"All right, then. Bye." And with that, Knuckles was gone. 

* * *

 

Shadow started by dragging Sonic by the legs out of the car. Shutting the door, he sat Sonic up and leaned down, dragging Sonic's arms over his back and then grabbing his legs like a sack of potatoes. Opening the door to the base floor of the apartment building, Shadow walked in and looked up and down the looming rows of metal stairs climbing up. Gritting his teeth, Shadow proceeded to walk up the stairs at a murderously slow pace, trying to keep Sonic's body weight evenly distributed on Shadow's body so that it would be less torturous. Once he made it to the end of the 2nd floor, though, he had to stop. Gently propping Sonic against the wall of the hallway, Shadow leaned against it, panting for breath. Sonic indeed,  _was_ surprisingly heavy. Shadow pushed off the wall so that he was standing above Sonic, still completely out.  _Hmmm,_ Shadow thought.  _Maybe carrying him a different way would be better._ So, instead of carrying him across his shoulders, Shadow went for simple, but effective, bridal style. Finding it much easier now, Shadow went a little faster up the stairs. All of a sudden, Sonic murmured something in his sleep and actually clung a little closer to Shadow's frame. This effectively made Shadow stop in his tracks. Looking down at the sleeping Sonic who was now softly tugging at Shadow's hoodie, Shadow shook his head and continued walking up the stairs, the tiniest hint of a blush visible on his face. Finally reaching Sonic's apartment, Shadow knocked on the door with his foot. 

Hearing a muted  _THUD!,_ an angry "OW!", and footsteps coming closer, Shadow backed up and waited for Tails to arrive. Upon the opening of the door stood Tails, blonde hair all over the place and several burn marks on his clothes. Looking down at Tails, Shadow said "Thanks," and walked inside, dropping Sonic on the couch and taking a seat near the kitchen bar counter. Sighing, Shadow looked around the house, noticing slight differences. It appeared that Tails made the most of his time without Sonic at the apartment; there were candy wrappers on the floor and what appeared to be an empty container of... was that chocolate frosting? The TV was also on to reveal a paused screen of Crash Bandicoot. _Ha_ , Shadow thought. _So he_  did _steal it back._  Tails closed the door and walked over to Shadow. He crossed his arms and looked up at him. "What happened to Sonic this time? Ugh, don't even tell me, he probably tried to steal that Mountain Dew vending machine at the arcade again, right? How many times have I told him not to-" Shadow cut him off by waving a hand dismissively in the air. "No, it was none of that. We happened to run into Knuckles, a friend of yours? He gave Sonic an entire Grande Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks. Sonic practically inhaled it in under a minute. It was honestly quite impressive," Shadow mused. 

"What?! Next time I see Knuckles, I SWEAR I will murder him! Ugh... let me guess... Sonic used his puppy eyes on you, didn't he? Nobody can resist them except me." 

"Yes."

"Gotcha."

"Well, I better head back to my apartment. I will see you later, Tails."

"Oh, okay. Are you sure, though? I can think of at least 24 things we can do to Sonic while he's passed out that will make him instantly regret life!" 

"Hmmm... maybe another time. But send photos to me, I seriously want to see this."

Tails put on his evil grin. "Okay"

* * *

Shadow flung his body onto his couch. He honestly was exhausted. There was also a lot to think about, too. Firstly, school started in under a month; two weeks and 3 days to be exact. He needed to prepare his mind for school and countless all-nighters for studying exams. Secondly, he currently had almost no food in his small fridge. It never honestly occurred to him to buy food while they were out, and he hadn't been feeling hungry at all lately. Maybe he would buy some tomorrow. Thirdly, he had a funeral to plan and attend. Shadow had delayed the funeral, not wanting to get involved too early and needing a little more time to wrap his head around the fact that his whole family was gone. He was the last person alive to carry out his family name, at age 16. Fourthly, there was the constant pressing matter that in only two years, if he didn't wise up, get a job, and start saving money, he would most likely be homeless and die alone in a slum somewhere.

Fifthly, there was the matter of his friends-er, acquaintances, really. Shadow never got friends much, but when he did, they never stuck around for long. He was expecting the same with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Sure, they were "friends" now, but what about the future? If they found about the incident with his family, they would hate him for sure, and probably forget about him. Well, everyone except Maria, of course. But, thinking about it, she probably wouldn't be around for much longer, either. Shadow cringed just thinking about the photos and memories locked up in his dresser drawer. 

His family. That night. One simple mistake caused his entire family's demise, and it was all _his fault._ Sure, he had gone to multiple therapists, and,  _maybe_ it had helped, a  _little,_ but he still wasn't the same. He probably never would be. 

Shadow sat up and ran his hands through his hair, flicking some in front of his face to examine the rather shaggy and messy strands. His hair was longer than it had been in awhile, and he probably needed to re-dye it soon. Standing up, he reached for the kitchen countertop for the remote. Grabbing it and flopping on the couch again, Shadow turned on a random channel and stared mindlessly into the glowing multicolored screen of the TV. After several attempts of trying to sleep and failing, Shadow checked the time. It was 12:54 AM. Damn, how much time had passed? Deciding to make some use out of his insomnia, Shadow grabbed his school schedule and supply list as well as his newly bought supplies, deciding to label and sort them all out so he would be ready for school. After he was done, it was around 2:00 AM. Sighing and getting up, Shadow walked down the small, narrow hallway to his room, taking off his hoodie, t-shirt, and pants and changing into something more comfortable to sleep in. Plugging in his phone, he slowly lulled off to sleep to the sound of the TV still on in the living room. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter was shorter.


	5. First Day of School and The Amy Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time skip to the first day of school cuz im lazy. dont worry tho i fill u in on info that happened before then.

It was the first day of school at Mobius High and for the most part, everyone was mainly excited. In the weeks prior to the first day of school, Shadow, Sonic, and Tails had grown closer. They went out to a milkshake place every Thursday and hung out at each other's apartments when they had the chance. They went to movies together, and ordered takeout when nobody wanted to cook. Shadow was beginning to feel more accepted and welcomed towards Sonic and Tails, and occasionally Knuckles. Whenever the subject of family got brought up, though, things got pretty awkward. Tails and Sonic would laugh about how Sonic's mom used to yell at them all the time for playing video games and not "socializing".

Shadow had things to talk about, too, but it pained him. Sometimes they would seem to notice and purposefully drop the subject for his sake, but that honestly hurt Shadow even more. They didn't have to not talk about things they enjoyed because of _him!_ Either way, Shadow still had a relatively fun time hanging out with them. They were growing on him. _But,_ his mind told him. _Don't get attached... They could be taken from you any minute! Just like your family..._ Deep down, Shadow was fully paranoid of losing other people he was close to. So far, Maria had made an excellent recovery and was actually making plans to come fly over and visit him. He would let her stay at his place for a week, hell, even for however long she wanted to stay. He would introduce her to Sonic and the gang, and they would all be happy. Shadow had that to look forward to at least. 

But he knew it probably wouldn't last. After all, nothing goes his way, right? Everyone else always seems to be perfect while Shadow is a train wreck. Literally. Sighing, Shadow walked slowly to the front entrance gate of the vast high school campus. Sonic and the others were ahead of him; Shadow spotted Sonic's vibrant blue hair and Knuckles' red hair every so often. Heck, he sometimes even saw Tails' unruly hair among the shorter crowd. Jogging a little to try and catch up to them, he nearly got run over by a girl with short pink hair sprinting in Sonic's direction. "Jesus Christ, what the fu-" he was cut off by his foot tripping over a crack in the cement and falling to the ground with an  _oof._

Not seconds later, he heard the happy scream of what sounded like an overjoyed fangirl meeting a kpop star.

Mentally covering his ears, Shadow stood up and walked over to where he could see Tails trying to pry the pink-haired girl off of Sonic who was awkwardly standing there and trying really, really hard not to shove her off himself. Noticing that Tails was currently preoccupied, Shadow walked over to Knuckles instead, who was currently standing off to the side and shaking his head disappointedly. "Um, this happen often?" Shadow asked. "Yeah, every freaking year. That's Amy, by the way. She has literally been obsessed with Sonic ever since 3rd grade, when he moved here. So far, her  _interests_ have just seriously annoyed the shit out of Sonic. I mean, there's not much he can do, even if he wanted to. Amy's parents are super rich so if he tried to not be friends with her anymore she'll probably sue him for breaking her heart or some shit like that." Knuckles scoffed. "I really feel bad for him. Once, I actually almost kicked her in the face because she almost choked him to death! I mean,  _god,_ it's like she's possessed or something!"

Shadow just watched the exchange between Tails, Sonic, and Amy as Tails finally got them separated. Amy kept on trying to subtly drift back towards Sonic but it was plainly obvious. Sonic naturally ran over to where Knuckles and Shadow were currently standing a little ways off. Reaching them, Sonic grabbed Shadow's arm. "Save me. This needs to end. You got a gun around here or anything?" Shadow looked at him. "Well, not at the moment." "Oh, good. wait,  _WHAT-?!_ " Sonic was cut off by Amy sprinting towards them. "HIIIII!" she practically screamed. Looking over Sonic's shoulder and noticing Shadow, her eyes widened. "Oh my god, you guys look SOOOOO SIMILAR!!!" Knuckles facepalmed and sighed. Sonic looked at Amy. "Whoa, what? We look nothing alike!" Sonic walked back next to Shadow. "YEAH, you DO!! Here, Sonic, cross your arms. Put your hair like THIS. OH MY GOSH THEY'RE TWINS!" Amy screamed. Sonic and Shadow both cringed at the high-pitched noise. Uncrossing his arms and shaking his hair out, Sonic started walking towards the gate again. Amy trailed behind them while Tails was currently imagining different scenarios where Amy went after Shadow instead of Sonic. Unlike Sonic, Shadow would most likely not even hesitate to punch a girl, specifically Amy, if she got too attached. They would have to prevent that at all costs, then. 

Trying his absolute best to ignore Amy, Shadow walked ahead into the school building through the glass double doors. Looking at his school map, he realized that his locker was just down the hall to the left, locker number 421. Shadow silently sent up a prayer that Amy's locker was all the way at the other half of the building, possibly the farthest away from him as she could get, which was a good thing. He had only just begun his fist of school, and yet he was already complaining in annoyance over somebody he barely knew. Looking over his shoulder, he realized that Sonic's locker was only 5 away from his own. Unfortunately, that meant that Knuckles and Tails were stuck on Amy's side of the building. 

Unpacking all of his school supplies from his bag and piling them neatly into his locker, Shadow finished and walked over to a struggling Sonic, who was trying to shove his locker shut without smashing his books. Shadow crossed his arms. "You know, if you actually stacked them neatly, you wouldn't have this problem." Sonic groaned. "Shut up, smart guy. Anyways, a little help?" Sighing, Shadow pushed Sonic aside and abruptly opened his locker, mentally cringing as its contents spilled out everywhere. Shadow gestured at the pile of books. "We literally just bought these. Look! This one's already nearly bent in  _half!_ How do you manage to accomplish such a feat in a mere half hour? You are the most unorganized person I think I have ever met!" Sonic bent down to pick everything up. "Yeah, way to rub it in. Look, the reason why I'm so  _unorganized,_ is because, well, uhh, it'll just get unorganized again eventually! Yeah! And then, what will be the point?"   
  
"The point is for it to never get unorganized by continuing to keep it neat. Don't you know anything about cleaning?"

"Umm well... no, actually. Tails usually does all of the cleaning around the house. Only when it's my mess, though. I am the one that usually cleans his stuff for him. But he doesn't really care if his allen wrenches are ordered by size or any of that organization crap, just as long as they're back from where he got them, he's happy." 

Shadow sighed and took the books from Sonic, organizing them into a neat pile and then placing them on the locker's shelf. "There. Keep it that way." 

Sonic huffed. "Fine, whatever." 

The first bell rang, and students were dismissed to the gym/auditorium for the entrance ceremony. It was pretty boring. Just talked about how the school welcomes the new students and wishes the upperclassmen good luck on graduating this year. The school rules were also stated, which weren't very strict. There was practically no dress code, just as long as students didn't come to school naked they were OK. Some extra rules were stated about how Classroom number 340 was out-of-bounds at the moment because of some lighting, plumbing, and overall maintenance problems, but other than that, it was a completely average and cliche entrance ceremony. 

After that, the school day went on as the first day would normally go. Teachers introduced themselves, students rushed to pick the best desks, and the cafeteria staff made school food. Pretty simple. Soon enough, the day was over and Shadow and Sonic drove Knuckles home with Tails after avoiding many close encounters with Amy. Tails was thinking about a new robotics project, Sonic was thinking about chili dogs, and Shadow was thinking about his motorbike. Knuckles was thinking about sleep, Amy was thinking about Shadow and Sonic, but most importantly, the man in the beam of a lone streetlight was thinking about all of them. 


	6. The First Week

Shadow sat up with a groan, slamming his fist down unto his alarm clock and throwing the blanket off his body. He still hadn’t adjusted to the wake and sleep cycle of the average school day, even after a week. How in the hell were teachers supposed to expect students to stuff their brains full of knowledge when they were still waking up? He had no idea how teachers showed up to school smiling every day, prepared to teach a few classes of unruly teenagers about the same topic over and over through the day, giving the same lectures over and over. If someone asked him to be a teacher for a day, Shadow would probably kill himself with a ruler or something. It was only the first week of school and he was already exhausted from the amount of schoolwork teachers were pouring on him. Well, not just him. It was everyone. Everyone was suffering. Hell, even  _Tails_ was freaking suffering and he's practically a genius! Even Sonic had been less hyper lately and has actually started to slow down and  _read_ what they were learning. Early on, Sonic had told Shadow that he hated books because reading was too boring and slow for him, but now, Shadow saw him holding a textbook nearly at all times. And this is only  _their first week._ How in the hell were they supposed to survive the rest pf the year, let alone the  _month_? At this moment, as Shadow sat up on his bed, he actually debated skipping the day and going back to bed. It's not like he would actually sleep anyways, though. Shadow has had chronic insomnia for most of his life. Sometimes, it's beneficial, other times, it's maddening. He does have medicine, but it always gave him nasty side effects like vomiting or frequent sleepwalking. Unless he wanted to accidentally sleepwalk out of his apartment and fall down the stairs, he was not taking those pills. Deciding against his aching mind, Shadow got up and got dressed for school. He wanted to just sit back down so badly but he couldn't. _Think about it, if I'm late I'll probably have to face the consequence of having to make up my missed assignments. Not good,_ Shadow thought. 

After getting dressed and packing his backpack, Shadow left his apartment, locking the door. Turning to the left, he knocked on Sonic and Tails' door, gaining no response. Sighing, he pulled out his phone and began spamming their phones but they still didn't respond. Tapping his foot impatiently, Shadow knocks once again. Sighing, he rummages through his bag until he finds a some paperclips. Fashioning them into a lockpick, he kneels down and begins to pick at the doorknob. Putting his head close to the door, Shadow turns the paperclip until he hears a faint  _click_ and then the door swings open. Pleased with his work, he steps into the apartment. The first thing he sees it Tails passed out on the couch with a textbook still open on his legs and a pencil still in his hand. Shadow stepped by him carefully. It took all of Shadow's willpower not to start laughing after finding out that Tails was muttering math equations in his sleep. Shadow carefully walked down the hall, where he figured Sonic must be since Tails took the couch. Coming across a door with a track and field sticker on it he opened it to find Sonic's room. 

Sonic's room was... well... not the cleanest room ever. Half of that problem, though, was due to the messy desk in the corner with a half-finished homework assignment on it. There was a TV mounted on the wall across from Sonic's bed that was still on, but muted. On that bed, was none other than Sonic, although it took Shadow  little bit to realize he was even there. Sonic was no more than a lump under his blanket. The only thing that gave away his position were a few threads of bright blue hair sticking out of the top of the lump. Sighing, Shadow walked over and firmly grasped Sonic's shoulder, shaking him. When that didn't work, Shadow noticed a glass full of water on his desk. Taking it, he splashed it on Sonic, who woke up immediately. "WAAAH I CAN'T SWIM-oh, hi Shadow. Wait-WHAT?! What are you doing here? How in the hell did you get in my apartment? What time is it?" Shooting up like a bullet, Sonic threw off his blanket and sat up. Shadow laughed. "Well, I'm here to wake you up, because judging by the half-completed homework assignment on your desk and your brother passed out on the couch muttering math equations, you probably were in the process of actually attempting that impossible homework we had yesterday. As for how I got in your apartment, I just used a paperclip, and as for the time, it is 6:45 AM, giving you 10 minutes to get ready for school and finish your homework." 

At the word "school" Sonic's eyes widened and he shot up and ran out of his room, sliding down the hall and running to the couch. "Tails! TAILS! WAKE UP," Sonic shouted. Tails didn't even flinch. Sonic sighed. He leaned closer and nudged him. Still nothing. Sonic groaned. He hated it when Tails didn't wake up. Looks like this calls for drastic measures. "TAILS! JONATHAN BLEW UP!" At that statement, Tails awoke with a gasp. "3.14159265359!!! Ugh... Sonic, MOVE! I NEED TO SAVE JONATHAN!!" "Hey, calm down, it was just a prank to get you up. Hurry up or we'll be late!! Come on!" Sonic responded. "Okay, fine! But _please_ let me check on Jonathan." Shadow spoke up. "How long will it take? We don't have much time. And who the heck is Jonathan?" 

"Uh, I don't know, maybe 5 minutes. Woah, Shadow?! How did you get in here, I could've sworn I locked the apartment!" 

"He used a paperclip and that's not important right now, what is important is that we get to school as soon as possible, but we're not gonna make it at this point so we're gonna have to abandon Jonathan for now and just go, okay?" 

"NOOOOO! My child! You can't not let me check on my baby, I freaking MADE that thing." 

"Sorry, buddy, we've gotta go. Jonathan can wait."

"Who the hell is Jonathan?!"

"Oh, sorry Shadow. Jonathan is Tails' first creation- a 3-D printer he built awhile ago." 

"Okay." 

"HE MEANS THE WORLD TO ME"

"Yes, I know that, but what's more important, Jonathan? Or your educational career?"

Tails thought about it. "JONATHAN!"

Sonic facepalmed and Shadow started pacing. 

"Sorry buddy," Sonic said, and scooped Tails up. 

"NOOOOO!" Tails began kicking at Sonic but admittedly, Tails is much smaller and weaker than Sonic is, so Sonic just stood there holding a thrashing Tails while grabbing his stuff and heading for the door. Taking the elevator, the trio descended to the parking garage where Sonic pulled out his keys and remote-car started his car. "Hey, Sonic?" Tails said, a slight mischievous tone to his voice. "What?" Tails smiled. "Well, since you have separated me from the love of my life, can I drive?" Sonic put Tails on the ground and looked at him. Eventually he sighed. "Don't kill us," he said. Tails grinned. "Okay." Suddenly, Tails bolted towards the car, hopping in and snatching Sonic's keys as he did so. Inserting the keys into the car and locking the doors, Tails backed out of the parking spot.

 

 


	7. “Continued From Chapter 6”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter name basically

“YOU LITTLE SHIT,” Sonic yelled. Tails grinned. “Sorry not sorry,” he said, and then sped away. Shadow checked his watch, apparently totally unconcerned that Tails just stole Sonic’s car. “We have 10 minutes, Sonic. Let’s go,” he said. Sonic looked up. “What? Tails just stole my goddamn car, how thre hell are we gonna go to school?” Shadow smiled widely. “We take my bike, of course.”

”Oh, no. No no no no no,” Sonic stuttered out. The idea of being on a motorcycle had been appealing at first, but now as Sonic sat on the back of Shadow’s very nice and expensive looking bike, he was having second thoughts. Shadow sighed. “You’ll be fine, don’t worry, just hold onto something. Here’s a helmet,” he said as he plopped a motorcycle helmet on Sonic’s head, tipping the dark visor over his terrified looking face. Shadow grabbed his own helmet from the seat and put it on, opening the air vent so he would breathe and putting the shaded visor down. He sat down, put in his keys, and revved the engine. His motorcycle came to life with a satisfying purr, and Sonic jumped. “This is terrifying, seriously.” Shadow smiled behind his visor. “Nah, it’s not that bad.” And with that he sped off at full speed with a screaming Sonic behind him. 

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, HOLY SHIT,” Sonic screamed at the top of his lungs. Shadow rolled his eyes. “Calm down, man.” But Sonic wasn’t having any of it. It was at this moment that Shadow realized that Sonic was a very annoying backseat driver. Sonic kept shouting at Shadow to slow down and to not nearly run over the neighbors, but really, they weren’t even going above the speed limit. It was actually quite slow, for Shadow at least. As they stopped at a read light, Sonic punched Shadow in the shoulder. “Ow! What was that for?” “For nearly KILLING ME, that’s what! We literally almost died, like, 10 TIMES!” Shadow sighed annoyingly at Sonic's over-exaggeration. "No, it was more like 9. Well, for you, at least. I was perfectly fine, but it was you making a big deal about all of it." Sonic punched Shadow again. "OW! Seriously, distracting the driver is dangerous. You don't want us to crash, do you?" At that, Sonic froze. "Nope, nope, no crashing for me, thanks. I'll just sit back here and enjoy how ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING being on a motorcycle is." "Hey, it's not that bad, just make sure you don't fall off." Sonic scoffed. "Well, THAT'S REASSURING!" As the light turned green, Shadow sped off again, this time catching Sonic off guard completely.

"AHHHHHHH JESUS CHRIST WARN ME NEXT TIME!" he screamed. Shadow shook his head, then stopped as he felt a pair of arms squeeze his abdomen tightly. Sonic was actually _holding on_ to him as he drove. Well, then. As Shadow checked the time, realizing there were only around 5 minutes left to get there, he cursed and sped up, going a good 10 miles above the speed limit. As they wove between traffic, (which is illegal by the way,) Shadow realized that Sonic's arms had gotten tighter and tighter around him but he didn't notice until he realized that he was having trouble breathing. "Sonic... can't...breathe..." Sonic looked. "Hm? Oh! Sorry, haha. Totally didn't realize I was suffocating you there. Sorry." As Sonic released his arms, Shadow immediately inhaled a hell lotta air. "Jesus, you have a vice grip." Sonic laughed. "I guess so. Anyways, where did you get this bike? It's nice."

Shadow rolled his eyes behind his visor. 

"Um, a motorcycle store? And what happened to you? You were terrified a minute ago. You're weird." Sonic laughed again. "So I've been told. Well, seriously, though. Why don't you have a car like a normal person?" Shadow thought. "Well, on a bike you feel more free. And they're smaller and more convenient. And cooler, too." As they reached the main drive to their school, Shadow occasionally revved his motor to alert students to move. Meanwhile, Sonic asked some questions. "So, do you ride in the winter? Don't you get cold? And how to you get groceries?" Shadow parked the bike in an empty spot and removed his helmet. "Well, yes, I do ride in the winter. There are special tires I have to prevent sliding on the ice. Yes, I do get cold occasionally but mainly i wear a biker suit to prevent that. I buy groceries and put them in this small compartment under the seat." Demonstrating, Shadow clicked a few buttons on the side, and the seat popped open, revealing their backpacks Sonic had totally forgotten about. "I knew something was missing! Thank god you remembered our backpacks. Thanks for driving Shadow." Shadow was shocked. He had never really been thanked in a while and it felt good. "Your welcome." As they walked in through the front doors, they met up with Knuckles who was sitting at a table reading a book. Sonic rushed over. "KNUCKLES! You are reading! i NEED TO RECORD THIS MOMENT ON CAMERA! Smile!"

Knuckles looked over. "Hm? Oh yeah hey. I figured it was time to conquer dyslexia sooooooo yup." 

 

 

 

Knuckles reads! yay! 

Sorry for not updating in a century. 

My life has gotten in the way. 

See you next time


End file.
